Irish politics and sports often blend but nothing might replicate Donald Trump’s whirlwind 28 hours of golf, diplomacy and trade at the Irish Open in Doonbeg.

The US President’s visit to Ireland ended with a major win for the Government, as he used his speech at Shane Lowry’s prize giving ceremony to announce he would remove tariffs from Irish whiskey.

It’s understood that the Taoiseach had raised the issue during his meeting with President Trump at Farmleigh House and on a number of occasions over the weekend including at lunch in Doonbeg on Sunday, with Irish whiskey subject to a ten per cent tariff contrasted to a zero tariff on whiskey coming from Northern Ireland.

Government ministers and diplomats could not have dreamed for a better outcome at a time when Ireland’s influence in America has been diminishing and with several of Mr Trump’s administration far from favourable towards the Irish.

The announcement – and its ties to Shane Lowry, who joked distillers should start sending him cheques – demonstrates how Ireland can use soft diplomacy to punch above its weight at an international level.

However, it will be interesting to note the response in Brussels at a time when Ireland is hosting the EU Presidency.

The shock tariff announcement will be a boost for Micheal Martin, who has derived a tangible gain from his time in President Trump’s company over the weekend.

He also avoided awkward moments with the US leader, sliding away as President Trump began an impromptu and unwieldy press briefing at the side of the first tee yesterday.

He has now emerged largely unscathed from three encounters with the unpredictable President.

However, opposition politicians will argue Mr. Martin should have been more forceful with President Trump on issues such as Gaza and the war in the Middle East, as will the thousands of protesters who took to the streets to demonstrate against the American leader.

President Trump’s remarks on Irish unity also pose questions going forward.

“I love my comments”, he said yesterday as he doubled down.

President Trump’s motivation for wading into Irish reunification is unclear – with some suggestions it was a ploy to rile Britain.

He referenced his ongoing tensions with Britain over North Sea oil and gas on Sunday although the Taoiseach demurred from offering an opinion when it was put to him by reporters that President Trump might have spoken about Irish unity due to differences of opinion with Britain over Iran and Israel.

Michael Martin was also keen to downplay the significance of President Trump’s unity intervention, saying they came as no surprise as he had said them before and that there had been an overreaction to the press event at Farmleigh on Saturday.

He also told reporters how he informed President Trump of some of the initiatives of the Shared Island Unit, pointedly adding how he was “one of the few members of the Oireachtas to have been around for the Good Friday Agreement”.

However, there was some frustration within the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party over Mr Martin’s approach to reunification over the Summer when Sinn Féin was proposing the Government publish a green paper on Irish unity within 18 months and, for some, President Trump’s comments might stir those frustrations again.

“The comments put a Border Poll and Irish Unity on top of the agenda. I don’t believe that it was an impulsive response by Donald Trump”, said Fianna Fáil Donegal TD Pat “the Cope” Gallagher.

President Trump’s intervention also comes ahead of a meeting next week between the Taoiseach and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

Mr Martin indicated legacy issues will be the key topic at that meeting rather than President Trump’s remarks.

The Tánaiste Simon Harris hailed President Trump’s trip as “a consequential visit”, but a People Before Profit TD accused the Government of “bootlicking”.

The final policing bill for the trip will likely re-ignite debate over its merits when it lands.

Overall, Donald Trump’s late announcement on tariffs with the help of Offaly’s Shane Lowry might be the definitive result from this trip, with President Trump handing the trophy to an Irish golfer, giving an image that Irish officials could never buy.

Like another Offaly man, Seamus Darby in 1982, Lowry might have helped President Trump’s whirlwind Irish trip deliver a late winning goal.